With an 82-56 vote in the House of Delegates on Friday, Maryland became the latest state to repeal the death penalty.

Gov. Martin O'Malley, a longtime advocate for repealing the death penalty, will sign the bill into law in the next few weeks. Maryland becomes the eighteenth state to repeal the death penalty. Six states have repealed the death penalty since 2007.

Opponents of the controversial repeal were hoping for a referendum drive on the issue. Rep. Neal Parrott, Chairman of MDPetitions.com, spearheaded petitions against same-sex marriage, the DREAM Act, and congressional redistricting in 2012, landing all three on the ballot. All three challenges lost on Election Day.

Parrott has no plans to challenge the repeal with a referendum.

The death penalty has been used sparingly across the United States, with the exception of Texas, over the past decade. Maryland has not executed anyone since 2005. The state executed five men between 1977 and 2013.

The DP has been used sparingly over the last decade except Texas, the above article says. To quote Kitten, I call B.S., a quick look at DP statistics shows this: from 2010 - 2012 for the following states:

Total of 62 over a three year period. Texas total over same period: 45That is not my definition of "sparingly", at least to this CA gal. Wanna bet the writer is an anti.

Dee

The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money - Margaret ThatcherThe most terrifying words in the English language: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." - Ronald Reagan

The DP has been used sparingly over the last decade except Texas, the above article says. To quote Kitten, I call B.S., a quick look at DP statistics shows this: from 2010 - 2012 for the following states:

So what happens with that case involving the murdered CO? Is there any point in bringing it to trial since it will just result in another life sentence? 2 Life sentences accomplish the same exact thing as 1 life sentence....

My reason for supporting the death penalty? A murderer has less of a right to live than his victim and already presents a danger while incarcerated for life. They have nothing to lose when the most they can get is Life in prison without parole.

Maryland will become the 18th state to outlaw the death penalty next week when Gov. Martin O'Malley signs a bill to end the punishment.

Raquel Guillory, a spokeswoman for O'Malley, confirmed Thursday the governor will sign the death penalty repeal bill next Thursday.

The General Assembly passed Senate Bill 276 in March. The Senate passed the bill, 27-20, the House of Delegates, 82-56.

After the governor's signature, the most severe punishment in the state will be life in prison without parole.

But the law could still be petitioned to referendum.

Del. Neil Parrott, R-Washington, chairman of website MDPetitions.com, has yet to announce whether there will be a petition drive to place the measure before the voters in the 2014 election.

MDPetitions.com petitioned three laws to the ballot in 2012, including one that legalized same-sex marriage in the state. All three measures were upheld by voters.

Since then, some delegates have said there is less enthusiasm for pouring money into a petition drive. Earlier this month, MDPetitions.com opted not to mount a petition drive on O'Malley's controversial gun control plan.

Maryland will be the sixth state in six years to repeal the death penalty. The state's last execution took place in 2005.

Capital punishment was put on hold in Maryland after a December 2006 ruling by Maryland's highest court that the state's lethal injection protocols hadn't been properly approved by a legislative committee.

Five men remain on death row in Maryland. O'Malley has said he will consider their future on a case-by-case basis.

There's always a chance the Governor could veto the bill for the sake of the murdered Correction's officer, but I doubt it will happen. Long live free murders for those serving Life without parole.

My reason for supporting the death penalty? A murderer has less of a right to live than his victim and already presents a danger while incarcerated for life. They have nothing to lose when the most they can get is Life in prison without parole.

(Reuters) - A bill abolishing Maryland's death penalty was signed by Governor Martin O'Malley on Thursday, making the U.S. state the 18th to abolish state-sanctioned executions, a spokeswoman said.

O'Malley, a Democrat, had pledged to sign the bill, which was passed by the Democrat-controlled legislature in March. The law replaces capital punishment with a sentence of life without parole.

The bill was O'Malley's second attempt to overturn capital punishment since 2009. When he introduced the legislation in January, he said the death penalty was expensive and did not work.

Since Maryland reinstated the death penalty in 1978, 58 people have been sentenced to death, but only five sentences have been carried out. Maryland has five men on death row, and its last execution took place in 2005.

Five states - Connecticut, Illinois, New Mexico, New York and New Jersey - have repealed the death penalty since 2007, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

How many prisoners do they have on death row? Not that economics should be everything and be placed above justice, but it does have SOME bearing. For instance, I don't think that it is worth NH to have a death penalty since they only have one prisoner on DR and no working execution chamber. If PA didn't have such a large DR, I wouldn't be heartbroken if our death penalty was repealed since we don't execute anyone that doesn't give up their appeals and both 1st AND 2nd murder are AUTOMATIC LWOP. It's why PTO is up in arms with us even though juvenile LWOP is unconstitutional.

Anyway since I am a worst-of-the-worst pro, I don't get all excited when a state repeals its death penalty unless a state has a super-large population or doesn't have LWOP as an option. While the death penalty guarantees that murderers won't murder again, it actually bothers me more when a state has the death penalty for 1st degree murder, but when the dp is off table, there is a chance for parole. While I whole-heartedly believe in the dp for brutal crimes, it was not the repeal of the death penalty that caused Kenneth McDuff to murder again, it was the opportunity for parole. Obviously, LWOP is not a cure all, people do kill in jail, hell Pee Wee Gaskins killed someone on DR! We can't be expected to execute everyone for 1st degree murder, so as long as a state has the threat of the DP or even LWOP it is enough. To me the problem with Europe wasn't so much getting rid of dp per se (though I think that should be an individual country decision, and not up to the EU) but not enforcing whole-life sentences. Hell, at least Canada makes people spend 25 years before a chance at parole, unless you are a juvie. Perhaps naviator can clarify for me.

If I sound a little bit like a bleeding-heart, I am really not. I do believe in restorative and preventative justice, just not when it comes to VIOLENT crime. I do believe that drug addicts, burglers, thieves, and white-collar criminals should pay society more through community service, rehab and paying victims back vs extended jail time. I also would rather have mandatory LWOP for 1st degree murder than death penalty based on whether the DA can win or not for any case that can qualify for capital murder. I want DP reserved for the most brutal murders, circumstantial or slam dunk.

I'm a Bill Maher style liberal. I believe in the death penalty for those who really deserve it, assisted suicide, pro choice, and the legalization of certain drugs.

"I don't know what it is about me that makes people think I want to hear their problems. Maybe I smile too much. Maybe I wear too much pink. But please remember I can rip your throat out if I need to."-Pamela de Beaufort-True Blood

There's always a chance this could be joke...right?.....RIGHT?!?!? 0_o

My reason for supporting the death penalty? A murderer has less of a right to live than his victim and already presents a danger while incarcerated for life. They have nothing to lose when the most they can get is Life in prison without parole.

How many prisoners do they have on death row? Not that economics should be everything and be placed above justice, but it does have SOME bearing. For instance, I don't think that it is worth NH to have a death penalty since they only have one prisoner on DR and no working execution chamber. If PA didn't have such a large DR, I wouldn't be heartbroken if our death penalty was repealed since we don't execute anyone that doesn't give up their appeals and both 1st AND 2nd murder are AUTOMATIC LWOP. It's why PTO is up in arms with us even though juvenile LWOP is unconstitutional.

Anyway since I am a worst-of-the-worst pro, I don't get all excited when a state repeals its death penalty unless a state has a super-large population or doesn't have LWOP as an option. While the death penalty guarantees that murderers won't murder again, it actually bothers me more when a state has the death penalty for 1st degree murder, but when the dp is off table, there is a chance for parole. While I whole-heartedly believe in the dp for brutal crimes, it was not the repeal of the death penalty that caused Kenneth McDuff to murder again, it was the opportunity for parole. Obviously, LWOP is not a cure all, people do kill in jail, hell Pee Wee Gaskins killed someone on DR! We can't be expected to execute everyone for 1st degree murder, so as long as a state has the threat of the DP or even LWOP it is enough. To me the problem with Europe wasn't so much getting rid of dp per se (though I think that should be an individual country decision, and not up to the EU) but not enforcing whole-life sentences. Hell, at least Canada makes people spend 25 years before a chance at parole, unless you are a juvie. Perhaps naviator can clarify for me.

If I sound a little bit like a bleeding-heart, I am really not. I do believe in restorative and preventative justice, just not when it comes to VIOLENT crime. I do believe that drug addicts, burglers, thieves, and white-collar criminals should pay society more through community service, rehab and paying victims back vs extended jail time. I also would rather have mandatory LWOP for 1st degree murder than death penalty based on whether the DA can win or not for any case that can qualify for capital murder. I want DP reserved for the most brutal murders, circumstantial or slam dunk.

What about the murderer that murdered that prison guard? is it right he gets away with a free murder?

My reason for supporting the death penalty? A murderer has less of a right to live than his victim and already presents a danger while incarcerated for life. They have nothing to lose when the most they can get is Life in prison without parole.

Dude I can't account for every circumstance. Maybe his murderer will be in limbo like the prisoners who are technically still on DR as in CT and NM. Maybe he'll be in iso for the rest of his life like Ridgeway. I don't know. I admit it is hard for me to think beyond the abstract sometimes unless it is a child that dies or it is a rape-murder or multiple, since I am not a MVS or come from a family of cops. The CO deserves justice, I just get angry sometimes that it seems to appear that a law enforcement employee or family member's death is worth more than an ordinary citizen. I think the brutality of the murder matters more than anything else.

I'm a Bill Maher style liberal. I believe in the death penalty for those who really deserve it, assisted suicide, pro choice, and the legalization of certain drugs.

"I don't know what it is about me that makes people think I want to hear their problems. Maybe I smile too much. Maybe I wear too much pink. But please remember I can rip your throat out if I need to."-Pamela de Beaufort-True Blood

Dude I can't account for every circumstance. Maybe his murderer will be in limbo like the prisoners who are technically still on DR as in CT and NM. Maybe he'll be in iso for the rest of his life like Ridgeway. I don't know. I admit it is hard for me to think beyond the abstract sometimes unless it is a child that dies or it is a rape-murder or multiple, since I am not a MVS or come from a family of cops. The CO deserves justice, I just get angry sometimes that it seems to appear that a law enforcement employee or family member's death is worth more than an ordinary citizen. I think the brutality of the murder matters more than anything else.

That is my feeling too sometimes too. Why is one life worth the dp and others not. Because it was a murder with more things around it. Doesn't change the fact for me it are both human lives. And in my eyes every human life should be worth the same.For that I'm happy that you don't get more years in Holland for killing a politician then for an ordinary citizen. (Even do the punishment is a total joke here but at lease some people get lwop here. Unlike a lot of other European countries)

Dude I can't account for every circumstance. Maybe his murderer will be in limbo like the prisoners who are technically still on DR as in CT and NM.

If that was the case, it would have been mentioned.

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Maybe he'll be in iso for the rest of his life like Ridgeway. I don't know.

I'm pretty sure that was the case before he murdered the CO. Now a trial is basically pointless since he will get the same result and nothing will change now that the death penalty is off the table.

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I admit it is hard for me to think beyond the abstract sometimes unless it is a child that dies or it is a rape-murder or multiple, since I am not a MVS or come from a family of cops.

You have to follow your logic regardless of the victim. If you're for the death penalty, you're for the death penalty. Otherwise you do what the PTO hopes for and you show that the death penalty is not applied equally.

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The CO deserves justice, I just get angry sometimes that it seems to appear that a law enforcement employee or family member's death is worth more than an ordinary citizen.

The CO won't get any justice because now the only punishment that will make a difference in his case has been abolished. 2 life sentences does the same as 1. Now I know someone is going to be like "well now he definitely won't get out now". My response to that is follows

I'm pretty sure he already didn't expect to get out of prison alive even before he killed the CO. Now he can just kill other inmates, COs etc to his heart's content knowing that the state of Maryland can't stop him.

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And in my eyes every human life should be worth the same.

It is not a matter of the lives being worth differently. It is the simple fact that the safety of society should outweigh the value of the murderer's life. Would you rather save the lives of innocent people, or would you rather save the life of someone who has already shown he doesn't value the lives of others high?

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Why is one life worth the dp and others not.

I believe all of those who kill in cold blood should get rid of the death penalty regardless of the weight, skin color, gender, sexual orientation etc of their victim. You will never catch me being discriminant about who should get the death penalty and who shouldn't.

My reason for supporting the death penalty? A murderer has less of a right to live than his victim and already presents a danger while incarcerated for life. They have nothing to lose when the most they can get is Life in prison without parole.